Today, we honor water as medicine, our life-giver, and our sacred relative. Following the teachings of Grandmother Josephine Mandamin and the Mother Earth Water Walk tradition, we recognize that water ceremonies are not just environmental activism, they are acts of sovereignty and spiritual resistance against systems that treat water as commodity rather than sacred gift.

Today's Action:

• Go to a local body of water - Grand Traverse Bay, Boardman River, or any water near you

• Bring an offering if you have it

• Send a heartfelt message to the water - speak your gratitude, your concerns, your prayers for healing

• Listen to what the water teaches you about connection, flow, and resilience

• Acknowledge this practice comes from Anishinaabe teachings and commit to supporting Indigenous water protectors

• Learn more about the Mother Earth Water Walk tradition at https://www.motherearthwaterwalk.com/

This ceremony exists because Indigenous grandmothers like Josephine Mandamin walked over 10,000 miles around the Great Lakes to raise awareness about water protection. It represents resistance against corporate water theft and the poisoning of Indigenous communities.

Your grief for polluted waters is connected to Indigenous peoples' grief for mercury-poisoned rivers, communities under decades-long water advisories, and the ongoing commodification of our most sacred element. By honoring water, you join a movement that centers Indigenous knowledge and fights for water as a human right.

More information on Josephine Mandamin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Mandamin